On Wednesday several council members shared their work and discussed trends in the field. Thursday is the main day of the meeting. Student groups from Dr. Kapp’s capstone course are presenting proposals to an RFP from the eLearning industry. This semester the topic is to use a graphic novel that will support the teaching of computer programming in K-12.

Dr. Kapp’s ‘Managing Multimedia Projects’ class is again  working on great proposals and prototypes.
Register for the Spring 2013 CAC meeting

Important files for participants in the Spring 2013 CAC:

• Agenda Spring 2013
• Spring 2013 Proposals and score sheet (password was sent to participants by email. Please contact Dr. Kapp, if you did not receive the password.)
• Spring 2013 resumes

The department honored the graduates with a reception before the traditional hooding ceremony, which is wonderful opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the students and to thank the family members for their support.

MSIT graduates Fall 2012

Douglas Bednarczyk
Matthew Brando
Linda Brown
Daniel Byler
Allison Carpenter
Holly Czwakiel
Anthony DeRose
Bryan Hart
Emily Kadhim
Thomas Kalinski
DiPal Kapadia
Jason Kistler
Joseph T. Kuszaj
Dan Laicha
Martin LoMonaco
Kyle Long
Chaya Merrell
Jennifer Munoz
Jestine Myers
Mary Jayne Reibsome
Abubakar Sheriff
Jennifer Stine
Joshua Stoner
Lauren Trainor
Shujuan Wang
Daniel White

Overview

Based on the bestselling book, this workshop explores what is Gamification and why learning and development professionals should care? In this online workshop, you will learn how to add game elements to your online and classroom instruction to increase engagement, learner retention of content and application of knowledge on-the-job. Learn how to apply evidence and research-based tips and techniques for creating engaging instruction. Discover how research-based practices can drive immersive learning experiences and behavior change through gamification.

Instructors

• Professors: Dr. Karl Kapp, Dr. Helmut Doll, Dr. Mary Nicholson, Dr. Timothy Phillips.

Program details

The certificate program consists of five online sessions. Each session will last two hours and include presentations, examples, individual and group activities, and demonstrations of technical processes.  Between sessions participants are expected to complete “homework” activities, participate in online discussions, and to practice the skills presented in the sessions.

For the live online sessions participants need to be at a computer with speaker and microphone. All sessions will also be recorded and can be played back in case a participant must miss a live session. Participation in the classes, course Wiki and online activities is required to receive the certificate and Continuing Education Units.

Who should participate

• eLearning Developers, Training Managers, Instructional Designers, Learning and Development professionals

Registration Details

Register for this certificate program now to reserve a virtual seat. All participants receive a signed copy of “The Gamification of Learning and Instruction” by Karl M. Kapp.

Registration for CAC participants: $450, for others : $500

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) available.

$50 Group discounts (>=3) are available. Please call 570-389-4506 or contact kkapp@bloomu.edu for details. Workshop size limited to 30.

Dr. Kapp’s ‘Managing Multimedia Projects’ class is again online this fall and they are working on great proposals and prototypes.

Gamification is using game-based mechanics, aesthetics and game thinking to engage people, motivate action, promote learning, and solve problems. It is starting to pop-up everywhere–from the gamification of courses as witnessed on the web site http://www.coursehero.org/, to the awarding of badges via FourSquare to the Nike+ web site that gamifies a person’s running history and workout routines. The concept of integrating game-elements into non-game experiences is gaining in popularity among business and learning professionals.  The idea is to promote engagement and activity through game-like actions and activities.

Learning professionals and instructional designers must understand the growing trend of applying game-based sensibilities to the development of instruction through creating time-based activities, leveling up of learning experiences, storytelling, avatars and other techniques. Yes, points and leaderboards will be a part of that but they should not be the main focus from an instructional perspective, all elements of games need to be brought to bear intelligently and carefully.

The growing use of avatars, the increasing popularity of massively multiplayer online role play games (MMORPGs) and the addition of point systems, badges and leader boards in realms such as economics, retail sales and finance is leading to a proliferation of gamified collaborative and learning techniques. This is not a waning trend; rather it is gaining momentum and acceptance in more and more fields. Learning and development professionals must follow that trend or be left behind. This is especially true when applied to areas not typically thought of as material appropriate for “games.”

This is also crucial since traditional methods of learning are losing favor; most page turning e-learning modules are boring people who have grown up playing an average of 12 years of video games. Time and attention of learners is limited and learning professionals must focus on providing an engaging and goal oriented solution to the training and teaching dilemma. A focus on gamification increases engagement, relevance and immersion and assists with the transfer of learning to the actual situation.

Learning professionals are now being called upon to match different game strategies with different types of learning content to create the right learning outcome. College faculty, instructional designers, learning professionals and others in the fields of training and education need to gain knowledge of how gamification techniques can be used in a variety of settings to improve learning, retention and application of knowledge. Learning and development professionals and educators are in a unique position to seize the opportunity to create interactive experiences for both internal employees and customers using gamification.

Bloomsburg’s Department of instructional technology has courses such as Instructional Game Design which teach how to apply game-based sensibilities to the design, development and delivery of instruction as well as courses on how to build powerful learning simulations. Join us as we help to pioneer exciting and engaging learning approaches and become, yourself, a pioneer in the field of instructional technology.

Links to articles by Dr. Karl Kapp

Link to First Chapter of his bestselling book “The Gamification of Learning and Instruction”

Article Games, Gamification and the Quest for Interactive Learning

Article: Improving Training: Thinking Like a Game Developer

The Technology Planning Across the Curriculum class was instructed by Dr. Lynn Hummel and supported by Dr. Timothy Phillips, Department
Chair, Dr. Mary Nicholson, Dr. Helmut Doll, and Dr. Karl Kapp. Please contact Lynn Hummel via email at rhummel@bloomu.edu within the
Department of Instructional Technology if you are interested in becoming a part of this tremendous event!

She has been a central part of our department and she helped generations of students.

We will miss her, but wish her the best in her retirement.